The massive, square "Iceberg Crystal Stone" was divided evenly into five layers, each bearing some rudimentary stone carvings—a multitude of ciphers and symbols I couldn't decipher, but whose accompanying graphics were instantly clear. The top layer was inscribed with numerous malevolent killing rituals, giving me the immediate impression that these rites bore a striking resemblance to the "Zhong Shu" (Gu sorcery) practiced by the Xian King of Yunnan. Both involved brutally murdering people and then somehow affixing a specific substance to the corpse, transforming the residual resentment of the deceased into a form of power.

I didn't dare look further down, quickly calling over inley Yang to examine the crystal stone. Hearing my call, inley Yang handed Ah Xiang over to Ming Shu's care and approached the stone, gazing at it intently. After a moment, he turned to me and said, "The Xian King's Zhong Shu actually originated in Tibet. The Zhong Shu recorded on this stone is far less intricate and unpredictable than the Xian King’s—it’s beyond the comprehension of ghosts and gods. This place might be the oldest source of the art, perhaps merely an imperfect early prototype. However, the core of Zhong Shu—transforming the energy of dead lives into other forms—is already fully manifested here. Though the Xian King’s Zhong Shu became more complex later, it never truly escaped this original framework."

Inley Yang continued that the moment he saw the "Snow Maitreya" frozen by the "Naiqiong Divine Ice," he felt an unsettling sense of familiarity; the thing looked exactly like a product of "Zhong Shu." After descending into the ice abyss, seeing the vast number of freshwater jellyfish in the underground river, he suspected the original form of the "Snow Maitreya" might have been a type of aquatic, blood-sucking jellyfish. During the great catastrophe when the high mountain lake transformed into an ancient glacier, they gradually evolved into a form capable of surviving in snowfields and ice layers. Their fear of high salt concentration might also be related to this. Perhaps the ancient Demon Kingdom or, later, the Reincarnation Sect invented the wicked art of "Zhong," which has brought ruin for generations, based on the characteristics of these very organisms.

The massive Xuanwu corpse in this cave, transformed into the Fruit of the Living, also conforms to the characteristics of "Zhong" when viewed from certain angles. Looking at the second layer of the Iceberg Crystal Stone, it bore a marking of a woman covering her face with both hands; the third layer showed a giant serpent with an eye on its head. The fourth layer, the most crucial part, had been deliberately worn away and destroyed, but the shape of the abrasion suggested a specific original form—perhaps a marking of an eyeball used to be here. The bottom layer was the strangest of all, etched only with what looked like skeletal remains.

I pointed to this bottom layer and told inley Yang, "This huge stone is layered, with each level focusing on different content, from top to bottom. It seems similar to the black tower in the ancient city of Jingjue, where status was arranged by levels."

Inley Yang looked further down. "This is indeed a type of arrangement, but it’s the complete opposite of Jingjue City. Judging by the description of the Demon Kingdom in the poem inscribed on the Enemy-Subduing Pearl, the markings on this crystal stone should represent power or energy, not status. The sequence is from top to bottom, with power increasing the further down you go."

Although there were differences compared to Jingjue City, a close connection clearly remained. Based solely on this massive stone, it could be asserted that the Ghost Cave people of Jingjue and the nation that worshipped the abyss in the Demon Kingdom must have had an extremely deep relationship. Perhaps the Ghost Cave people were a splinter group of the northern demons or the Reincarnation Sect back then.

This suggested we were steadily closing in on the truth of the "Eyeball Curse." As long as we could locate the Demon Kingdom’s "Erohai Sea," it would surely be even more perilous than Jingjue. With things having come to this pass, hesitation was impossible; we could only wager our lives against theirs.

Afterward, inley Yang and I found several other crystal steles in the cave. They contained few written words, mostly relying on graphic narratives. From their records, we learned that the Iceberg Crystal Stone suppressing the Molting Turtle was a section that the Reincarnation Sect excavated from the "Gate of Disaster." The carvings on it were all made by the people of Erohai. The "Gate of Disaster" itself was an insurmountable, colossal crystal wall. When the Demon Kingdom was destroyed, the "Gate of Disaster" sealed the only passage to the outside world. Later generations of the Reincarnation Sect dug a tunnel through it, preparing for the advent of the "Day of Rebirth."

This was all the information we could glean from searching the entire cave. I surmised that placing a huge stone from the Gate of Disaster in this cavern served as a sacrificial site, intended to commemorate the Reincarnation Sect’s achievement in opening the passage to the Demon Kingdom. The corpses and the spirit turtle in the cave were special offerings. Following this river full of jellyfish downstream would inevitably lead us to that crystal gate, and the "Erohai City" should not be far from there.

By then, Fatty had dug out the spirit turtle shell. Due to the giant corpse's blood-bait having been entirely consumed by the "Molting Turtle," it had withered away like dead wood. It would likely take until this time tomorrow to swell up again into the Fruit of the Living. As for the "Molting Turtle" we had captured alive, we had paid it no mind since trapping it. Now, it lay completely still. The cause of death was likely suffocation from being taped too tightly. This creature was no benevolent being; it was toxic all over, and keeping it served no purpose. So, Fatty tossed its corpse together with the male corpse that produced the blood-bait, poured some flammable material over them, and burned them to ash with a single torch.

Seeing that the cave had been thoroughly looted and was now worthless, I led the group back to the outer cavern. Ah Xiang’s injury was no longer critical, but she had suffered significant blood loss and needed ample rest. The others were equally exhausted. With the immediate danger cleared, everyone collapsed into sleep.

The abyss beneath the glacier maintained the same environment, indifferent to day or night. We only rose to pack and prepare after sleeping until we could sleep no more. Today, we would continue following the river, passing through the "Gate of Disaster."

I checked my weapons, ammunition, and food supplies once more. Since the altitude here was relatively low, I swapped out my insulated assault suit, though I couldn't discard the cold-weather gear entirely, as we might still need to cross mountains to get out later. Because Ming Shu and Ah Xiang combined could only carry one person's share of supplies, the rest would have to be divided between Fatty and me. Thus, we aimed to travel light, discarding anything unnecessary and taking only essentials.

Ming Shu and Fatty were haggling over how to divide the large piece of turtle shell. Their argument dragged on without resolution. Finally, Fatty lost his temper, jamming his paratrooper knife into the ground. Though he said nothing, his meaning was clear: "I can't be bothered arguing with you. You, old Hong Kong man, figure it out. If the division doesn't suit me, we’ll need to use this knife to discuss it further."

Ming Shu had to concede. Following Fatty’s proposed split, the shell was divided equally among the heads present. This meant Fatty took four-fifths, leaving Ming Shu with only one-fifth.

Ming Shu exclaimed, "Are you serious, Fatty? My goddaughter and I should get two shares, so why only one-fifth?"

Fatty looked utterly bewildered. "Uncle Ming, you’re a smart man in the business world. How come after one night’s sleep, you're speaking such nonsense? Ah Xiang's share has already been used for treating her injuries, hasn't it? The clouds over the Karakoram are white; those of us who dig tombs in the Karakoram should have hearts as pure as snow mountains. Although I've always been naïve and simple, looking like an idiot, I still know not to eat radishes when I'm hungry or drink water when I'm thirsty. You, venerable elder, shouldn't mistake me for a complete fool just because you’ve swallowed a couple more barrels of salt pellets than us."

Ming Shu was famous in the Nanyang antique trade for his shrewdness, often considering himself a mini Zhuge Liang and handling huge deals. But faced with a chaotic force like Fatty, who resorted to playing dumb when reason failed, the consequences of pushing him too far were frightening to contemplate. With no other choice, he had to accept his loss.

Fatty whistled, stowing the spirit turtle shell in his bag. Seeing Fatty's smug expression, Ming Shu was so furious he nearly passed out. He trudged off with a defeated slump to check on his goddaughter.

I pulled Ming Shu aside and laid out our current predicament: "Uncle Ming, you and Ah Xiang aren't the same as us. We’ve come prepared for the possibility of not returning. You have three choices: First, follow the river upstream. The chance of making it out that way is fifty-fifty. Second, stay here in this Black Tiger Altar cave and wait for us to return for you, but I have no idea how likely it is that we’ll return alive. Third, follow us downstream, through the Gate of Disaster. What lies beyond that gate might be Erohai City—a journey fraught with extreme danger, where survival is a long shot. I can’t guarantee your safety, or your daughter’s. The final decision rests with you."

I told Ming Shu that if he chose to separate, I would give him all the spirit turtle shell. Ming Shu was startled, then quickly declared his stance: "Absolutely not splitting up. Whether we live or die, we stick together. We go to the Gate of Disaster together. In the future, when Ah Xiang marries you, I’ll hand over all my business to you. That spirit turtle shell will naturally be yours too. We are family; why talk of separate shares? No need to discuss it; it’s decided."

I sighed inwardly. It seemed the old Hong Kong man was determined to believe we planned to abandon him to find our own way out. No matter how much I explained, I couldn't shake his preconceived notion. It seemed the corrosive nature of the capitalist world truly could taint a soul. I had told him everything worth saying from yesterday until now; the saying goes, three times is like water fading away. Whether walking downstream leads to life or death is now down to individual fate.

So, I led Ming Shu and Ah Xiang onward, following the river vein laced with crystal deposits downstream. We walked for three full days. As we progressed, the luminous freshwater jellyfish gradually became scarce. Finally, the long, narrow abyss reached its end: a colossal crack in the mountain face blocked by a crystal wall several hundred meters high. The wall was covered in cryptic symbols and markings, just like the Iceberg Crystal Stone we had seen earlier, but this wall was overwhelmingly vast and tall. Standing beneath this magnificent crystal barrier made one feel as insignificant as an ant. Faint daylight shimmered high above the wall—this had to be the legendary "Gate of Disaster."

The river flowed at the base of the crystal wall, passing right through it. This was the period of the year when water flow from the Kunlun mountain systems was at its peak. It seemed the tunnel that had been dug must be underwater. During normal times, the passage in the Gate of Disaster might have been above the waterline. Since we didn't know the length of this tunnel, and we only had three sets of diving gear, I dared not risk sending the entire team down. I decided everyone should rest here while I went down alone to scout the path before deciding how we would proceed.

Fatty, however, stopped me, volunteering to dive down first to survey the tunnel’s length and width. Knowing Fatty was an excellent swimmer, I agreed to let him scout underwater. Fatty was confident that a river channel only a few dozen meters long could be traversed back and forth on a single breath, so he boasted by descending without an oxygen tank, wearing only his diving mask.

I stood on the bank timing him. Seconds ticked by, the water’s surface remained still and undisturbed. My inley Yang began to grow anxious. He hadn't returned after one minute; maybe a fish had bitten his backside. Just as he was about to jump in to rescue him, the water broke. Fatty’s head, wearing his climbing helmet, surfaced. He wiped the river water from his face: "The passage through this crystal wall is wide and not very long, but damn it, the other side is blocked! The large fish underwater have formed a fish formation, numbering countless thousands, packed so tightly there’s no way through."

"Fish formations" existed in inland lakes, but here, where there was no human presence, fish had no reason to form defensive arrays against capture unless some unknown entity underwater threatened their existence.